5 Things To Know About The Vanderbilt Commodores

MrsTylerKSR

Tonight, your University of Kentucky Wildcats will attempt to get their first true road win of the season vs. the Vanderbilt Commodores. We’ll have a thorough scouting report on the ‘Dores for you later today, but until then, here’s a quick rundown.

1. They’re 1-1 in the SEC, 9-5 overall

Prior to Saturday, Vanderbilt was riding high. The ‘Dores were fresh off a one-point win over Arkansas and before that, a win over BYU. Then they lost to South Carolina in Memorial Gym, 72-70. Add in Arkansas’ loss at Texas A&M — the Razorbacks’ third straight — and maybe the ‘Dores aren’t as good as we thought. KenPom still has them ranked No. 75, which is seventh-best in the SEC. They’re No. 82 in the NET, making this a Quad 2 game on Kentucky’s team sheet.

2. Scotty Pippen Jr. is still there

The Preseason SEC Player of the Year came back for a third year after testing the NBA Draft waters. Pippen is second in the SEC in scoring with 18.3 points per game behind Arkansas’ JD Notae. His three-point shooting has dipped a little this season, but he’s still connecting on 30.7% of attempts for an average of 1.6 per game. Last season against Kentucky, he put up 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists in the Commodores’ loss in Lexington and 21 points in the rematch in Nashville. As someone who grew up dreaming of playing for Kentucky but never got an offer from John Calipari, he won’t need any extra motivation going into tonight’s game.

3. They force a lot of turnovers

If Vanderbilt has an identity, it’s on defense. The ‘Dores rank 23rd in the nation in turnovers forced per game (16.9), 28th in turnover margin (3.9), and 42nd in scoring defense (62.4 ppg). Vandy has forced 20+ turnovers in four games this season. With or without Sahvir Wheeler, the Cats will have to pay special attention to taking care of the ball.

4. Kentucky’s won 10 straight in the series

Believe it or not, Kentucky won both games vs. the ‘Dores last season, 22% of the final win total. The Cats now have ten straight wins in the series, six straight at Memorial Gym. Vanderbilt’s last win over Kentucky in Nashville was on Feb. 27, 2016, when Matthew Fisher-Davis’ four threes helped the Dores pull off the upset over the No. 16 Cats.

Although the Cats have won ten straight, Vanderbilt held at least a nine-point advantage at some point in six of those games. Here’s a rundown from UK’s game notes:

Jan. 5, 2021 – Kentucky rallied back from nine points, including a seven-point halftime deficit
Feb. 11, 2020 – The Wildcats trailed by as much as 14 with 4:43 left in the first half
Jan. 29, 2020 – UK came back from a 10-point second half hole
Jan. 12, 2019 – The Wildcats rallied from 12 down in the first half to win
Jan. 30, 2018 – Kentucky came back from a 14-point deficit for the victory in overtime
Feb. 28, 2017 – The Wildcats stormed back from a 19-point first-half hole

Let’s try to win without going down by nine or more tonight, okay?

5. ESPN will be there; Students will not

Tonight’s game is on ESPN, with Kevin Fitzgerald and Jay Bilas on the call; however, the atmosphere at Memorial Gym will be very different than usual. Vanderbilt delayed the start of the semester to Jan. 17 due to rising COVID case numbers, but even students in town won’t be allowed to attend the game. In an attempt to stop students from gathering and potentially spreading the virus, the school did not issue student tickets (although some of those prime courtside student section seats popped up on secondary markets for $200 each…hmm). The general public is still allowed in, albeit with proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test. Per usual, I expect blue to get in and likely be shown on television a lot if they allow Kentucky fans in the student section.